Bruce Merrifield, President — Merrifield Consulting •customer demographics •market intelligence •WayPoint Analytics •expert interview •LIPA •balance •customer segmentation •business analytics •Randy MacLean •Bruce Merrifield •Merrifield Consulting •business strategy •customer analysis model •managing customers for profit •concierge customer service •Advanced Cost & Profit Analytics Wednesday, May 12, 2021—When you have customer profitability analytics at a line-item level, you can measure the specific friction in your accounts. And with WayPoint, you get the background information that enables more unique, creative solutions to this friction. In many cases companies will find, when they begin using WayPoint, that 5-15 customers, all buying the same key items with high profitability, in a way that makes these top accounts the core of your business. These are the accounts we want to retain and keep happy at all costs, so how can we do a better job with them? Bruce has come up with what he calls the "big 8 of service excellence", a flexible and effective method with which to ascertain the unique needs of your big accounts, and treat them in exactly the way they wish to be treated, and in a way that will benefit both parties. It works as a template to find what's important to your customer, and to define service value by the niche in the market the account occupies. Link to "Eight Elements of Service Excellence" http://merrifieldact2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/3-Eight-ELEMENTS-OF-SERVICE-EXCELLENCE.pdf For more information about Bruce Merrifield, visit: www.merrifieldact2.com |
Measuring & Managing Fleet CostsSophisticated New Delivery Costing Drives Higher Profits The 7 Areas That Need Your Focus (brief)The 3rd of 3 lists defining the markers of Distribution companies outpacing their peers. The 5 Things Customers Want (brief)The 1st of 3 lists defining the markers of Distribution companies outpacing their peers. Beyond Business IntelligenceRandy MacLean explains the differences in business intelligence systems, and how to know what you're getting with each kind. Why In-House Analytics FailsIn-house analytics initiatives are prone to delivering ineffective information or to outright failure. Here's why. 2020 Q4 Brief - Exploiting / Optimizing the Recovery2020 Q4 is the time companies can take great leaps in market position, actively shaping their competitive landscape for years to come. Staying Effective in the Changing World of SalesThe top business know not only how to innovate, but where to spot opportunities where innovation will bring the greatest results. LIPA: Prophet of Customer NeedsSee how implementing LIPA can give you the bandwidth to be more accommodating to your customers with analytics-based service excellence Getting a Deeper Understanding of CostsRandy MacLean and Bruce Merrifield of WayPoint Analytics discuss different levels of cost analysis, and why deeper analytics can bring much greater benefits. Profit-Value SegmentationCustomer triage is key to profits in Distribution. Randy MacLean share the key elements of costing required to help you assign the right service level. How Distributors Should Rethink Their 2017 Sales Growth PlansWaypoint Analytics uses line item profit analytics to dig deep into the numbers, and Waypoint users learn both bad news and good news about their customers. Profit Value-Based Customer SegmentationRandy MacLean and Bruce Merrifield of WayPoint Analytics discuss profit value-based customer segmentation. Gross Margin Percent: A Poor Indicator of ProfitabilityMany naturally occurring, high gross margin percentage accounts and high gross margin percentage SKUs are operating profit losers. The Advantages of SegmentationA discussion of the benefits of segmentation and how this approach can help distributors achieve far greater levels of profitability. How to Turn Big Data Into Big Profits!Top companies like Amazon can leverage big data to predict consumer buying habits. Bruce Merrifield discusses how you can do this too! Gross Margin Percent: A Poor Indicator of ProfitabilityMost distributors have naturally occurring, high gross margin percentage accounts and high gross margin percentage (small dollar pick) SKUs. Increase Profits: Rank Customers and Act AccordinglyHere is a case study in which the lowest gross margin percentage niche was the most profitable and the highest gross margin percentage was the loser. Discussing the Enterprise Account Selling Model (#3)Continuance of the Enterprise Account Selling Model video series. Refers to a preceding video. Drawn from Bruce's presentation at APIC on March 1, 2016. Looking at a Customer Whale CurveCustomer whale curves are a great opportunity to view the overall picture of your customer profitability and apply appropriate sales models to each Increase Innovation with a Rule and a ToolBruce Merrifield discusses the Wheel of Learning and how this simple tool can catapult you forward with innovative thinking. Cost-to-Serve Math: Why Gross Margin May Fool You Every TimeThis video by Bruce Merrifield and Randy MacLean describes why you can't rely solely on gross margin to determine profitability. Maximizing Account Potential through SegmentationRandy MacLean discusses the value and utility of segmenting your customer accounts. Working on Your Best AccountsWhat to do with your top accounts. Gross Margin FixationA fixation on gross margin – without looking at cost-to-serve (CTS) – has blinded countless distributors and limited their ability to achieve profitability. Amazon Tactics: Know Your SKU Profit Winners and LosersSee why your most profitable 200+ items are typically popular commodities with lots of picks for lots of customers with a high average sales dollar per pick. A WayPoint Client and Whale Curve Success StoryLearn how this distributor was able to massively ramp up its profitability even as it lost many of its customers. Cost Structures: What Makes for a Good Sale?Learn why distributors can't simply rely on gross margin when determining whether a sale will add to the bottom line. Increase Innovation with a Rule and a ToolLearn how to boost your company innovation IQ by adopting the Anti-Nitpick Rule and the Wheel of Learning Tool. Why You Should Be Optimizing InventoryRandy and Bruce explain why it's important to optimize inventory in the same way you optimize personnel and other resources toward the best profit opportunities Using WayPoint's High Volume Account Report to Increase ProfitRandy discusses the benefits of the extraordinarily valuable High Volume Account Report. Prioritizing Your CustomersA discussion of the perils of a cookie cutter approach when it comes to sales and service in the wholesale distribution industry. How Customer Segmentation Unlocks Hidden ProfitsBruce Merrifield of WayPoint Analytics teaches the importance of customer segmentation and the insights it can offer your distribution company. Getting Results with a Customer AuditGetting Results with a Customer Audit Making Money by Giving Away ProductBruce Merrifield and Randy MacLean discuss profit strategies for wholesale distributors that will raise their cost-to-serve and profits. Webinar: How to Create a Sales Compensation Plan (pt 2)Webinar: Quantum Sales Compensation Plan Part 2 Webinar: How to Create a Sales Compensation Plan (pt 3)Webinar: Quantum Sales Compensation: Designing Your Plan Webinar: How to Create a Sales Compensation Plan (pt 4)Webinar: Quantum Sales Compensation for the Wholesale Distribution Industry: Launching Your Plan |